The 19th annual East Maui Taro Festival, which features poi-pounding demonstrations, a taro pancake breakfast and cultural tours, happens this weekend in the community of Hana, Maui. Each year, Hana residents transform their baseball park into a festival celebrating the traditional Hawaiian dietary staple kalo — the Hawaiian word for taro. The root vegetable—prized for […]
Hawaii’s love of Spam is undeniable. You see the evidence in our eateries, where Spam loco moco and Spam and eggs with rice are menu staples. Every day, Spam musubi, a popular portable snack, quickly disappears from storefront counters. Even our supermarkets occasionally spotlight the canned meat-product in carefully stacked, fancy pyramid-shaped displays. Yep, we
There will soon be a lot of tree-hugging under way in Lahaina’s downtown area. On Saturday April 23 — the day after Earth Day, actually — and Sunday April 24, West Maui’s Lahaina Town Action Committee will host a birthday celebration in Banyan Tree Park. Festivities will be situated under the guest of honor —
Expand your understanding of Hawaii’s vast and varied marine life through Ke Kani O Ke Kai (Voices of the Sea), a new monthly lecture series offered on Maui at Kapalua Resort’s Village Café and Sweet Shoppe. The first free lecture, set for 4:30 p.m. Mon. May 2, will spotlight the majestic humpback whale, a popular
Construction of Maui’s first airport hotel, tailored for both leisure and business travelers, is slated to begin next week in Kahului. A groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday for Maui’s first Courtyard by Marriott, a four-story, 138-room hotel located near Kahului Airport and close to Maui’s business, commercial and governmental center. “With Kahului being Maui’s commercial
The Big Island’s luxe Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, which sustained tsunami-fueled damages and closed last month will reopen for guests this Sat., April 30. Flooding damaged 12 of the oceanfront resort’s 243 rooms, pushed sand from its beach father inland, jumbled landscaping and killed stretches of the South Kohala-area resort’s grass, said Four Seasons spokesman
Hawaii’s hula halau (dancing groups) and competitive dancers from elsewhere are now making their way to Hilo to take part in the 48th annual Merrie Monarch Festival’s three-night competition, which will begin Thurs., April 28 with the Miss Aloha Hula Competition. But before the world’s premier hula contest gets under way, the weeklong Merrie Monarch
You may have seen photographs of Oahu’s Manoa Valley snapped during the early 20th century — black-and-white images of verdant hillsides lightly dotted with homes, horse-drawn wagons and crops, from sugar to coffee. Ever wonder what it would have been like to wander in the valley during that rural era? For a peek at Manoa’s
This week, as we celebrate Earth Day, green-minded voluntourism opportunities in Hawaii, ranging from beach cleanups to native plant restoration efforts, are in the works. By volunteering for even a few hours with endeavors aimed at preserving paradise, you can gain a deeper appreciation of Hawaii’s awe-inspiring yet fragile environment. Environmental voluntourism offers vacationing visitors
Glossy bursts of Hawaii foliage that greet you at Makiki Valley Loop Trail can be stunning, even for hikers well acquainted with Oahu’s lushly landscaped areas. Visitors from especially arid terrain take note: If, upon entering Makiki Valley State Recreation Area — a 10-minute drive from downtown Honolulu — suddenly your feet feel firmly fixed
You’ve gotta love Windward Oahu’s Kailua town. From the shoreline of Kailua’s sugar-white sand beaches you can paddle a kayak in gentle waters to the nearby Mokulua Islands, which serve as a protected seabird sanctuary. On breezy days you’ll see wind surfers twisting colorful parachutes above the waves in Kailua Bay. After working up an
Next spring, a Disney Cruise Line ship—complete with Donald Duck and nephew Huey on the stern and a Steamboat-Willie bow—will skim Hawaii’s waters for the first time. The Disney Wonder, a 964-foot ship that holds 2,700 guest passengers, will shove off from the Port of Los Angeles on April 29, 2012, bound for the Hawaiian
